Drunken Decisions
by LeslieBrianna
Summary: Lizzy gets a little too drunk at Jane and Charlie's engagement party, and Darcy saves her. She can't coherently state her address, so Darcy takes her back to his place and smut ensues. Low angst
1. The Party

Elizabeth Bennett, professed lover of parties, was having an awful time at _this party_. She knew, rather than felt herself to be happy for Jane and Charlie. They had been through so much to get to this point, and if Charlie Bingley didn't surround himself with total jackasses, she may have felt more for the engaged couple.

As it were, however, she was hiding behind a pillar in Charlies colossal country home, Netherfield, hoping to avoid his vapid twin sisters and grouchy best friend. She had some form of tolerance for the trio- she had to with the amount of time she spent with Jane, and therefore, Charlie and his entourage. Normally, there was one or two of them. Having all three of them in the same room was causing Lizzy to drink. Excessively, she admitted to herself. She would have laughed at Caroline's desperate antics towards Darcy, if it hadn't made him gravitate towards Lizzy herself, one of the only people able to drive off Caroline. There was no love lost between those two, as Caroline had taken a decided dislike to her from day one and Lizzy was not the kind of person to take undeserved criticism lying down. They bickered as if there were siblings already.

Elizabeth had spent half of the night trying to extricate herself from Darcy's mono-syllabic conversational skills and Caroline's piercing stares. She would stop by for a couple of minutes to make some simpering comment to Darcy, only to be driven away by Lizzy's caustic wit. If only Darcy was as aware of her antagonistic words as Caroline was. For whatever reason, he laughed as if she were joking, which only furthered her irritation.

She eventually plead the need to use the restroom, lingering much longer than necessary before stealthily making sure the coast was clear of Downer Darcy and locating her current hiding spot- the pillar. Unfortunately, it was a little too close to the refreshment table, and it's constant companion Henry Hurst and his wife Louisa, the other Bingley sibling.

Louisa was nice enough – when separated from the influence of Caroline. She just didn't have a _personality._ Lizzy had never seen such a spongey person. She just absorbed whatever mannerisms the people around her exhibited. It was intensely irritating to have someone repeat everything you have said back to you, which is why Lizzy avoided her. Her husband, Henry, lived only to eat, drink, and gamble. The first dinner she had ever gone to with the Bingley family had nearly ended in disaster when he found that she preferred a plain dish to ragout. His shouting about her 'plebeian tastes' had nearly derailed the whole dinner. He had scarcely spoken 10 words to her since.

Every once in awhile, Lizzy would quit her musing to sneakily refill her drink, when she was sure Darcy was out of the room. He was pacing around the party, looking for someone, and Lizzy had a sinking suspicion that it was her. Caroline had snatched her opportunity and was following him around like a little duckling, chattering at him.

Netherfield's ballroom was packed, and she hoped that all the revelers here to celebrate Jane and Charlie's engagement would shield her from his gaze. The last thing she wanted to spend more time in his despicable company. Even though they had known each other for nearly two years now, she hated him. It wasn't just his complete inability to pick up on social cues – namely her radiating hostility, but he was also just a proud, pompous jackass. She could easily forgive his pride, had he not wounded hers. Their first meeting was burned into her memory – the public humiliation of his comment "not pretty enough to tempt me" spoken not quite far enough from the microphone that was clipped to his chest for his upcoming speech at the first Netherfield charity gala.

Then, his completely unnerving staring, which he did every time they were in the room together. He couldn't be bothered to string 10 words together to actually speak with her, but he was constantly staring at her with a slight frown on his face. It creeped her out.

She was startled quite rudely out of her musings by the man himself, alarmingly close to her ear breathing out a sigh of relief: "Oh there you are, Elizabeth. I've been looking for you."

Lizzy whipped around, stumbling in her drunken state, and quirked an eyebrow. "I know. I've been avoiding you."

There was that insufferable chuckle - "It's a good hiding spot. It took me forever to find you. Maybe we'll be lucky and," with a pause he looked cautiously over his shoulder, "Caroline won't find us."

Lizzy, with a significant look in his direction, huffed "Well, maybe luck isn't in our cards. I've already been found out."

Darcy laughed at her suspicious look and said "Let me refill your drink for you. What are you having?"

"Tequila. Anything strong." Darcy walked off to fill her request, and she couldn't help but roll her eyes.

That was the last thing she remembered before blacking out.


	2. After Party

This chapter is from Lizzy's POV but she won't remember it in the morning. Don't worry - Darcy isn't going to touch her (much) while she's drunk. He's too good of a guy.

Lizzy stumbled and tripped over.. well, something. Her blurry vision couldn't figure out what, but it wasn't because she was _drunk._ Oh no, not her. She was just tired.

Jane's angelic blonde head came into her vision, her face a little blurry because of the _tiredness._ "Oh Lizzy, sweetheart. You're absolutely gone, aren't you?" She murmured, stroking her hand along Lizzy's curly hair.

"I'm fiiiiine, Jane. I could keep going for hours yet" she slurred back to what she assumed was the correct version of her sister. There were just so many of them.

Jane looked helplessly over her shoulder at the stoic Darcy. "How much did she drink? I was so busy with all of the guests I didn't even notice she was drinking this heavily. She never drinks."

Darcy shrugged, "She was already half gone when I found her, but I didn't notice right away. I can make sure she gets home safely, I'll call my car."

Jane threw herself around Darcy's shoulders in a tight hug. "Thanks so much! I have to help get everything cleaned up, or I would take her. I'm glad she's getting home safe. It's such a huge relief."

Darcy patted her shoulder a little uncomfortably and Lizzy had to laugh. "Don't look so emotionally constipated, Darce. It's just a hug. I promise it doesn't hurt."

He glared at her a little while he raised his phone up to his ear and murmured "I'm ready for my car. We will have to take a detour, though."

As the black town car pulled up to the house 15 minutes later, Lizzy was really feeling the tequila. She had to brace herself against Darcy's shoulder in order to make it down the grand staircase in front of the house. She was glad he was so awfully tall, because she knew if she fell against him it wouldn't even faze his balance and they wouldn't go tumbling down the stairs.

She slid into the roomy backseat, glad for the heaters in the frigid November cold. Her sparkly party dress was cute, but hardly warm. Darcy noticed her shivering and slid to the seat besides her. She didn't protest as much as she might have, because he was radiating warmth. So she simply snuggled against his arm and promptly fell asleep.

She didn't know how long it was before she felt herself vaguely being shaken. "Elizabeth. Elizabeth. Wake up! I don't know your address." She felt his breath against her ear and mumbled something. Even she wasn't sure what it was supposed to mean. She felt herself slipping back into oblivion as he told the driver, "I'm not sure. I guess back to mine. I can give her a guest bedroom." The gently sway of the car lulled her back into sleep.

The next thing she felt was the shocking cold of the air. She gasped and jolted away, looking for her blankets. She didn't recognize where she was, but did notice she was outside for whatever reason. More shocking was the fact that Darcy was carrying her into a monstrous townhouse she didn't recognize.

"Darcy. Where are we?" She whispered in the dark entryway.

She could tell he was startled by the way he flexed his arms around her unconsciously. "Oh Elizabeth, you're awake. I tried to wake you in the car to get your address, but you were completely passed out. I just took you back to mine because I have guest rooms."

"That was sweet of you, Darce. I appreciate it and I'll get out of your hair in the morning. Currently, I am knackered though and just want a toothbrush and some jammies. Can I borrow a pair?" She questioned as she looked up at his face, closer than she had ever been to it before. She hated to admit, even to her drunken self, how handsome he was. His blue eyes, strong jawline, and jet black hair was really unfair. He could be a model.

She was shaken out of her begrudging admiration as the man in question smiled at her. "Yeah, you can borrow a pair. We may have to share a toothbrush though. I don't usually have a spare."

"Thanks for putting up with my cooties, then." She giggled, a little out of breath with the way he smiled at her.

"Anytime, Elizabeth." He murmured, holding her close.

"I, uh, appreciate the ride, Darcy, but you can put me down at any time."

"Oh, sorry!" He nearly dropped her in his haste to accommodate her wishes. "Sorry, sorry." He murmured, putting his hands on her waist to make sure she stayed upright. "The bedrooms are this way," he gestured to the stairs. She started wobbling her way up them, only to have Darcy's hands resume their place on her waistline to steady her. She tried to pretend it was the alcohol that gave her the sudden butterflies in her stomach.

They made a right at the last door in hall, which turned out to be a spacious room with a colossal bed in the middle. A tv on a nightstand, and a bookcase were the rooms only other furnishings. Two other doors, which she assumed where the en suite bathroom and the closet stood closed on either side of the bed.

He walked to the door to the right and flicked on the switch, illuminating a bathroom that was as large as her room. "You can brush your teeth while I find something for you to wear," he said, handing her his toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste. He hurried out of the room and shut the door. Lizzy stared at herself in the mirror, her image was still fuzzy from all the alcohol, but from what she could tell, she looked afright. Her hair was sticking up at all angles from her nap in the car, her mascara was smudged around her eyes, and her lipstick had worn off at some point in the night. She did her best to wash her face with nothing but water, and brushed the grainy, sugary cocktail remnants off her teeth. She stepped out into the bedroom to Darcy laying out one of his tshirts and a pair of boxers. He turned at her entrance to the room with an apologetic shrug and said "I'd offer you a proper pair of sleeping pants, but they're all quite large and would probably fall off." He held up the pair he was planning to sleep in, which looked to be long enough for her to wear as a whole body romper.

She giggled, and stumbled her way to the bed, "I'm sure these will be fine," she replied, fingering the fine quality of the cotton shirt he had laid out for her."I'll be brushing my teeth, then I can show you to the guest room," he said, disappearing into the bathroom. She heard the water running and used this privacy to try and get out of her shimmery party dress. In her inebriated state, she couldn't quite reach the zipper. She resigned herself to the awkwardness of asking Darcy for help with it when he was finished in the bathroom.

She perched on the bed while she waited for him, inexplicable anxiety blooming in her chest. It wasn't long before the door swung open, revealing Darcy in nothing but his pajama pants. Lizzy couldn't help but ogle his muscular torso before forcibly meeting his eyes. "I can reach the zipper," she said quietly to him. "Can you help me with it?"

Darcy stared at her for a long moment before swallowing forcefully. She was mesmerized with the working of his neck muscles and barely registered the "Sure" he murmured in the quiet room. She turned around expectantly, sweeping her hair off her back as she waited for his to approach. It felt like an eternity before his soft footfalls sounded behind her, and she could feel his breath on the back of her neck. An interminable moment passed where she could swear she heard his breathing grow faster before she felt the tug of the zipper. It was agonizingly slow, and she felt the soft skin of his thumb tracing gently along the skin he was exposing. She felt, more than heard, his cessation of breath when he discovered the line of her back where her bra was supposed to be. She had forgotten, until this moment, she had gone without for the strapless number she wore to the party. After a beat, the sensation of his thumb along her spine continued until she was entirely unzipped. The alcohol giving her courage, she held her arms out to drop the dress. It pooled at her ankles, leaving her in just the lacy panties she wore underneath. Darcy let out a strangled cry as she bent forward to grab the t-shirt he had laid out for her. She slipped it on over her head, relishing the feel of it against her skin. She turned towards Darcy, quirking her eyebrow in a silent challenge. Darcy was looking at her with a wild expression in his eyes. His pupils were dilated until the blue was barely visible around them, and his mouth was open as he panted.

"A man is only born with so much restraint, Elizabeth" he groaned as he swept her into his arms. He buried his face into her neck and peppered kisses along her jaw, down the column of her neck, and on to her shoulder. She moaned at the feeling of his stubble scratching the sensitive skin, and grasped onto his shoulders, digging her nails into the muscles. He walked them backward until she fell onto the bed, the t-shirt riding up her legs to tantalize him with the scrap of lace. He followed her down on the bed and kissed her ferociously. Lizzy knew she was lost, and didn't care that she professed to hate him only a few hours ago. She needed this. She needed him. She slid her hand downwards, toward the sizable bulge in his pajama pants, aching for him. As soon as she made contact, she felt him still, and gently grasping her hands, murmured in her ear "I can't, Elizabeth. Not like this."

She felt herself go red with embarrassment and rejection, and tried to wiggle out from under him.

"Elizabeth, please. I've wanted this for so long, but you're drunk and I couldn't possibly impose on you like this," he said with a hand on her waist and a gentle kiss to take the sting out of the rejection.

"So long?" She queried back at him. "You don't even _like_ me!"

Darcy looked at her like she was speaking another language. "Not like you?" He repeated, dumbfounded. "Don't you know?"

"Know what?" she demanded impatiently.

"Lizzy, I've been in love with you for months! Not like you? I couldnt even pretend to not like you." He responded, gently stroking his hand down her face.

"Love?" Lizzy squeaked, alarm showing onon her face.

"Yes, love. I thought you knew! I have been trying to work up the courage to ask you out for so long. Jane mentioned you might reject me, so I was trying to figure out your feelings towards me all night."

His incessant shadowing began to make sense, and Lizzy his her fable in her hands, overwhelmed by the complete 180 the night had taken. "I think I'm too drunk to talk about this now. Can we continue in the morning?" She asked in a quiet voice.

"Of course, Elizabeth. Do you want me to show you to the guest room?" He asked hesitantly, not sure absolute shock was the reaction he was looking for after his declaration of love.

"Can I... I mean, can we... just stay here?" she asked in a small voice, gesturing to the bed. "It's been a long time since I've cuddled."

Darcy opened up his arms and she quickly snuggled in and fell asleep.


End file.
